The Unforeseen Part 1

Title: The Unforeseen - Part 1
Author: becky016
Warnings: None (That I can think of)
Note: I will be using these (---) to divide my story as some scenes, may, jump back and forth to one another.
Disclaimer: I do not own TMNT

The mutant family, who had made their home in the centre of New York’s sewers, were once again living their weekly routine of eating take out. That also included trying to lure each child away from their toys and up to the dinner table.
“Come on guys, pizza’s here!…” Robyn announced.

At that moment each child came out of hiding. Kotaro placed his crayons down and headed for the kitchen. The twins followed their father from the lab and Leo pulled Yumi out from her playpen. But she quickly began to squirm out of his hold.
“Alright Yumi, okay! Just let me adjust you” the father chuckled, this little girl did not like being carried one bit, not since she started walking by herself that is.

Twisting his daughter round he happily placed her feet on the floor.. Yumi’s face beamed with excitement as not two seconds had her toes touched the floor she was off, leaving her father behind. Only thing was she was heading in the opposite direction. Each of the mutants were surprised at how advanced this little ninja was. The only child not accounted for, was Ashley.

She remained seated by the telephone, gawking up at the device. Her feet flapped to and fro waiting for what could only be that one important phone call.

“Earth too little red… come on Ash ya pizza’s getting cold” Mikey called, trying to use the wonderful smell to get his niece over.
“I’m not hungry…” she sighed.
“Ashley you gotta eat something honey” Mia said, placing her daughter in her highchair. But the girl didn’t take notice. Her eyes remained fixed on the device.

“Is she still waiting for them to call?” Don whispered before taking his first bite. The others all nodded. Noah and Iris fought for a moment on who would get the first slice, but thankfully it ended quick and without Don having to intervene.
“How long’s it been?” Mikey asked, Leo looked at the clock before diving into his piece meal.
“Seven hours…”
“I knew it! Pay up!” the brunette heaved a sigh before reaching into her wrist band, pulling out five bucks and handing it to the male.

“I can’t believe the two of you are placing bets over your own niece’s welfare” Leo said.
“Hey, it’s a way to make things interesting” Mikey replied, he rubbed his palms together, his tongue running across his lips as he eagerly awaited his share of the meal.

A moment later Master Splinter emerged from his bedroom, quietly taking a moment to observe his large and rather noisy family. His attention then drew towards his eldest granddaughter, shaking his head for a moment he made his way over to her. Once he had reached her side, she made no effort to greet him.
“Hmm… still waiting young one?” he asked.
“…Yep…”
“You do not wish to join your family for dinner?”
“…Nope…” her feet continued to swing as she waited, all of a sudden her stomach growled harshly.

Ash the child wrapped her arms across her stomach to muffle the voice, the rat knew otherwise. His brow rose with a smile merged across his face.
“Your gut says otherwise, come… it is time to eat” the girl’s cheeks revealed a slight red  past her green skin. Maybe having at least one slice wouldn’t be so bad. She climbed to her feet and followed her grandfather to join the rest of her cousins. But she stopped half way and glanced back at the payphone amongst the wall.

“The phone will still be there Ashley, now hurry up!” Robyn said.
“You know Kotaro will happily have your slice” Mia quoted, at the instant Ashley ran towards the group. Jumped in her seat and began stuffing down the two slices of pizza on her plate, all the while giving her cousin and evil glare from across the table.

Yep that was sure to work.

Whilst everyone was happily digging in Ashley couldn’t help but keep staring back to the payphone.

Raph and Charlotte had been expecting another baby for some time now and as much as Charlotte wanted everyone being there when the new-born arrived she couldn’t handle the thought of everyone listening in when she went into labour.

After a long and heated discussion about what to do, both parents decided that they were going to have the birth at Grandma Jones’s house.

Over the years their family had grown. Leo and Mia now had two children Kotaro who was five and Yumi who had just turned eighteen months. Don had the twins, Noah and Iris who were now three.

Raph and Charlotte had left about three weeks prior to the due date, along with April and Don to help with the birth, leaving Ashley and the twins in the care of her uncles, aunts and grandpa Splinter.

The little red head remembered all too well when her parents left.

------

Bags and rucksacks were sat by the door as April was helping Charlotte totter down the stairs.

Like how Charlotte was with her first pregnancy, the turtlette really needed to get outside. Now that she’d just gone thirty five weeks, she was starting to feel very uncomfortable, and being stuck in the lair most of that time had been driving her crazy. With one arm in April’s grip, Charlotte used the railing to help haul herself down the last few steps.

Ashley was carrying her extra-large teddy bear that her uncle Mikey had won, at the fair a few weeks back, she also dragged the Disney princess bag behind her, ready to set off for what she thought was a short holiday.
“Mommy can we go swimming in the lake together? Will we be roasting marshmallows on a fire like last time? Will daddy let me practice my archery? ...” her questions seemed to go on and on, as she was oblivious to her mother’s ache.
“Honey… Ashley please…” Charlotte wheezed, trying to calm her daughter down.

Finally reaching the bottom Charlotte had to sit herself on the luggage, as she caught her breath back whilst stroking her stomach. Ashley still danced around watching everyone say goodbye to one another.
“April? Are Zack and Kyle coming too?” Ashley questioned once again, April gave Charlotte a glance, irritated that she hadn’t explained it to her sooner. Nevertheless she knelt down to Ashley’s level taking her palms into her own.
“Ashley sweetie, you know you’re staying here right?”

The turtle instantly dropped her bag and toy on the floor, her eye’s widened with surprise.
“W-Why?” April averted her gaze.

Raph finally presented himself before the group, throwing the many bags off his shell and onto the floor, heaving a grunt as he did. He was able to get a break though as his daughter flew into him.
“Daddy do I have to stay here?!”
“Sorry princess, but you do in this case” Ashley gasped as she ran into Charlotte’s enormous belly wrapping her arms around her bump.

“No! I wanna stay with you and mommy, and my baby sister!” she cried out her bottom lip quivered, hoping she could change their minds by doing the sad puppy dog face.
“Now Ash if ya did that ya’d miss out on ya ninjistu trainin’ wiv ya grandpa”
“Well maybe I don’t wanna train!” Ashley sulked crossing her arms over her chest.
“Sweetie, we know your first time without us may seem a little scary” Charlotte comforted.
“Side’s ya gonna ‘ave a swell time hangin’ out wiv everyone, and wiv me and ya mom gone, you gotta make sure this place stay’s in order”

“Stay’s in order? Sooo… I’d be in charge?”
“Yeah”
“So I could get people to do as I say? Give them orders?! That kind of in charge?!” the child’s excitement grew with each thought.
“Let’s not overstep the mark okay….” Charlotte said, knowing her daughter had a wicked scheme in mind.
“All’s we’re sayin’ is that you gotta keep ya eye on things, make sure no one… misbehaves or nuffin’ ya see where I’m getting’ at?”
“Like… how uncle Mikey misbehaves?”
“Specially ya uncle Mikey”

The orange banded mutant had overheard this and couldn’t help but try to defend himself by shouting. “Hey!” from across the room. Still Ashley understood, although she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed about it all.

Meanwhile Leo, Splinter and Mia were observing from the side-lines.

“I dunno why they’re making such a big deal out of this, they’re only gonna be gone for a few weeks”
Leo said.
“Come on Leo lighten up” Don said, as he walked by carrying some supplies in a box.
“A new life is about to be introduced into our family my son, it is an exciting thing for all of us”
“Yeah another member of the Hamato clan” Mia beamed, Splinter liked the sound of that.
“Yeah the Hamato clan…” he understood where she was coming from, and he loved the fact that he and his brothers legacy would be passed on to another generation. Unfortunately it came with a hefty price.

Crying, screaming, temper tantrums, lack of sleep, less space and more mess around the lair... as well as a whole bunch of other stuff. He often wondered how Splinter had managed all by himself.

Leo sighed rubbing his eyelids, before he glanced around at all the faces in the room.
Lately he began questioning if their family was becoming too crowded to all live under the same roof.

He soon felt something resting on his shoulder, when he looked it was his wife, with a concerned look in her eye.
“You okay?”
“Yeah, I was just thinking, maybe…”
“Yo Leo ya gonna stand there looking pretty all day!” Casey cried out as he helped Donatello with moving some pieces. Leo really didn’t like getting interrupted, specially by Casey.

“Look just grab a crate pull your weight!” Robyn said, following behind him. All in all, it looked as if they were taking way to much stuff with them. But anything could happen one the baby was on its way, so they had to take precautions. The leader heaved, as he went to help. One thing he wasn’t going to miss was his hothead of a brother; it would be nice not having to argue with him every hour of every day.

With only a few bags left Raph hauled the cargo back on his shell.
“Ah!” all of a sudden he felt the luggage get even heavier for some reason, almost like he was carrying a ton of bricks. As he looked round he spotted his baby brother clasping onto him for a piggy back ride.
“Grr… Mikey…”
“Well good luck bro, I’m gonna miss ya” Mikey said, climbing off his back and making his way round to the front. He stood there with a huge grin on his face, but the mutant wasn’t buying it.
“Ya don’t really mean that do ya?” Raph said.
“Nope not in the least!” his grin grew even wider.

It felt nice that he wasn’t going to get beaten up almost every day that is assuming Robyn wouldn’t take the role.
“Besides from how big Charlotte is, I wouldn’t be surprised if she gave birth to two babies, maybe even three!”
“DON’T YOU EVEN JOKE ABOUT THAT!” if he had time to spare, Raph would have dropped both bags and pummelled him to the floor by now. But Mikey had already made his escape, so instead Raph would get him later.

Eventually everything was set, and so it was just the last few exchanges and goodbyes that had to take place.

The first was Donatello; he was busing kneeling down and giving his kids a great big hug.
“Now you two be good for your grandpa and everyone else...” the pair nodded and Noah replied with a ”Yeah”
“And I don’t want to hear that you’ve been fighting alright, I mean it” once again the pair nodded as they went in for one last final hug.

“Now are you sure you’ve gotten all the emergency numbers Casey”
“Sheesh April relax, have a lil faith would ya, I got this, me an’ the boys’ll be fine” the woman couldn’t help but hum at that statement.
“Well just in case I called up Angel earlier” she said pulling out a sheet of paper from her purse.
“She’ll be checking in every day to make sure you haven’t burned the place to the ground” the man couldn’t help but whinge somewhat.

Meanwhile the girls were already seeing their friend off. Charlotte was all seated in the van half leaning out the window. Mia had already had her friends hands entwined with hers.
“Be sure to call us as soon as you get there”
“Don’t worry we will, but are you sure you’re gonna be able to handle things here without us?”
“Hey we got this end covered red, you just be sure to take care of yourself okay” Robyn said Charlotte couldn’t help but giggle.
“I know, I know”

She looked over to see Raph with his sensei, brothers and their daughter.
“So I guess I’ll be seeing you in a few weeks’ time…” he had already exchanged his farewells with the grownups now it was his little girls turn. But when he looked down, he already spotted the tears welling up in her eyes.

Looks like he had to play the parent card again, he got down to her level and cupped her chin.
“Hey now, what’s all this?” the child instantly jumped into his arms.
“I wanna go with you”
“Now, now, ya know ya can’t, ‘side’s ya gotta take care of things round ‘ere till we get back ‘member?” the red head, still pouted, wiping away at her snout as she nodded.
“Hey I don’t wanna see none of ‘em tears ‘ite, ya gonna be a be a big sister soon so I wanna see a big smile ‘kay”

Even though she was still sad, she managed a little smile for her father.
“That’s my girl” ruffling her hair he planted a kiss on her forehead.
“Raphael, it’s time to go!” Donatello called.
“Keep ya shell on Donnie I’m comin’!”

Once he had climbed in, Charlotte looked back at everyone. She noticed Ashley waving and so she waved back. At that moment the engine started and the gates began to open.
“We’ll be back soon sweetie! Be a good girl while we’re gone!” she called.
“Bye mommy!” with the doors now open the turtle hauler went on its way. The seven year old chased after it, still waving as it drove by.

Before long, it had faded away into the distance. Ashley then felt a palm on her shoulder as she looked up, it was her aunt Robyn.
“Time to go inside” it wouldn’t be good if they were spotted and so each of the mutants returned to the lair. Minus Casey, he had to get back to Zack and Kyle.

-----

That was over five weeks ago. Two weeks over their expected return.

With dinner come and gone, the mutants had returned to what they were once doing. The adults had managed to distract Ashley, Kotaro and Yumi with some whacky kids show on TV that night.
They seemed hypnotised by the device as none of them had noticed the phone ringing.

It rang at least several times before someone finally answered.
“Hello?... Hey Raph, so has it happened yet?!… Really?! AWESOME! CONGRATES DUDE!” Mikey smiled and with that Ashley knew that her baby sister had arrived. Her attention snapped away from the many screens as she bombarded past her cousins, accidently knocking over their blocks which they were happily stacking up. This only caused them to burst out crying.


She bolted up to her uncle trying to snatch the phone off of him.
“Is that daddy?! Has my baby sister arrived?! Is my baby sister here?!” Ashley jumped and sprung around hoping to get an answer. Mikey instantly placed his palm over his nieces head, getting her to stand in one place.

She however fought back, with her face smothered by the mutant; she wriggled and jerked, mumbling his name over and over to reach for the device.
“So how’s Charlotte doing?” Even though he was just as excited as she was, he wasn’t able to hear Raph on the other end of the phone.

By this point the remaining adults heard the all the commotion going on and they made their appearance as they too listened in on the conversation.

“Uh-huh… yeah… haha I’ll bet…” the girl grunted and frowned passed her uncles palm, still trying to get the phone from him.
“What’s that? Hmm? Oh yeah she’s here… although I think shes busy having too much fun to talk right now” the turtle teased.

It must have gotten to her, because not two seconds after he’d said that, Ashley whacked his arm aside.
“That’s not true! I wanna talk to daddy! DADDY HE’S LYING!” she shrieked hoping the mutant could hear her on the other end.
Mikey only chuckled, as he ruffled her hair.
“Chillax little red, yeah Raph… yeah ‘kay, oh really?...” Mikey’s expression then changed to a serious one. Which got everyone curious.
“Mm, alright, well congrats again bro, be seeing you soon” he then handed the phone over to his niece.
“Here…” the mutant then charged over to the others to pass on news.

Finally getting what she wanted Ashley’s expression beamed with a smile as she held the device to her face.
“Hello, daddy? Is she here yet?! Is my baby sister there?!”
”Heeey there princess, how ya doin’? ya miss us?” completely avoiding her other questions.
“Yeah…” Ashley then felt a sense of loneliness come over her for some reason. By the sound of her voice Raph could also tell this.
“Well, ya ain’t gotta wait much longer kay… so tell me what ya been up to since we’ve been gone?”
“Mmm…well we all went cycling in the sewers, rented out some movies, oh!  Zack and Kyle slept over a little while ago, and I’ve learnt some awesome new moves from grandpa” she explained.

”Wow sounds like you’ve had a right good time without ya old man around” Ashley giggled at that statement.
“So how’s mommy? Is she there? Can I speak to her?” there was a delayed response from the turtle on the other line Ashley wondered if the signal had been lost somehow.
“Uhh… not right now, but I promise soon okay”
“Hey Raph can I have the phone now? that voice belonged to Donatello he probably wanted to speak to the twins before it got too late.

“Listen Ash, I-I gotta go, but I’ll call again soon okay”
“Okay… bye daddy” she hated that their talk was going to be cut short, but it was to be expected.
”Alright, night sweetheart, love ya”
“Love you too…” she said before calling her cousins over.

With their crying now over, both Noah and Iris made their way over, snatching the phone from the red head.

As nice as it was talking to her father Ashley couldn’t help but feel as though something was wrong with that particular phone call. As she looked on, she’d noticed that the show she’d been watching prior to her phone call had now finished, so instead she was going to head straight for her bedroom for other means of entertaining herself for the next couple of hours.

As she passed her grandfather’s shrine, the door was pull too, and being the nosey little ninja she was, she couldn’t help but peek through the small gap where all the grown-ups had gathered. She couldn’t fully hear what they were talking about, but it looked like something serious given from the look on their faces.

It was all kind of pointless seeing as she couldn’t hear them, but before she could leave she was interrupted by a certain someone.
“What are you doing?” Ashley nearly jumped out of her shell; once she turned she saw that it was Kotaro.
“Shhh! Be quiet” she ordered.
“So what did your dad say? Do you have a brother or a sister? When are they coming home?” he continued.
“Grr Taro shut up!” she yelled out loud.

She instantly regretted that moment as the door suddenly opened with a displeased rodent. He placed both hands on his walking stick with one of his brows raised.
“Can I help you children?” it seemed like he, nor the other grown-ups wanted to be disturbed right now.
“Uuhh… n-no thanks!” the pair then sped of down the hall as they didn’t not want to face their grandfather’s wrath.

TBC…